System and method for carrier identification in a pneumatic tube system

ABSTRACT

A system and method provides for the identification and monitoring of carriers within a pneumatic carrier system. Each carrier which is to be employed within the system includes an identification device such as a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip which has stored thereon identification information for the carrier. Positioned throughout the system are communications devices such as antennas and readers which are employed to read and/or write identification information on the chip. When a carrier is put in the system, a destination location can be associated with the particular carrier ID. This associated information is then employed to, among many things, monitor and confirm identity of the carrier as it moves to its destination.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/835,718, filed Mar. 15, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/087,465, filed Apr. 15, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No.8,447,427, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/027,037, filed Feb. 6, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,953,515, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/458,002, filed Jul.17, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,363,106, which is a divisional applicationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/991,303, filed Nov. 17, 2004, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,243,002, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/556,819, filed Mar. 27, 2004, all of which areincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of pneumatic tubecarrier systems, and more particularly to a system and method forimproved carrier handling in a pneumatic tube carrier system employingcarrier identification carrier monitoring technology such as radiofrequency identification (RFID).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pneumatic tube carrier systems are a well-known means for the automatedtransport of materials between a multitude of locations, any of whichmay be the origination location or destination location of a transportcarrier. A typical system includes a number of pneumatic tubesinterconnected in a network to transport carriers between a number ofuser stations. Various blowers and transfer units provide the force andpath control means, respectively, for moving the carriers through andfrom tube-to-tube within the system.

Directing traffic in a pneumatic tube carrier system is a system controlcenter (SCC). An SCC may determine carrier paths, or routes, through asystem, carrier location within a system, and carrier path changesolutions in situations where gridlock conditions occur. In currentsystems, such determinations are largely based upon “predictions”, orinferences, as to where each carrier “should be” within a system giventhe times/locations of entry and intended transport paths of allcarriers concurrently handled by the system.

In current practice, however, carriers can be delivered to locationsother than their intended destinations for several reasons. For example,a system may misdirect a given carrier as a result of equipment error.Alternatively, a system may misdirect numerous carriers as a result ofthe presence of a “floater” carrier (e.g., an unidentified carrier)within a system. That is, the presence of even a single, unaccounted forcarrier may severely undermine the accuracy of a number ofprediction-based determinations made by an SCC, thereby adverselyimpacting the handling of numerous carriers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Described herein is an improved system and method for carrier handlingin a pneumatic tube carrier system. Included in the system are aplurality of communications devices such as antenna devices/readerswhich are positionable at locations throughout the system, wherein thecommunications devices are configured to communicate with identificationdevices positionable on carriers employed in the system. Furtherincluded in the system are a plurality of user interface devicespositionable at various locations within the system (e.g.,origination/destination locations), wherein the user interface devicesare minimally configurable to receive destination information which maybe associated with a particular carrier (e.g., as input by a user).

The communications and interface devices are further connectable to acentral controller, wherein the controller is configurable (i) toreceive carrier identification information from communication devicesand destination/routing information from the interface devices, and to(ii) associate the destination information and identificationinformation for a particular carrier transport operation, wherein a“transaction record” may be initiated and stored. In turn, as one ormore carriers move within the system, the central controller is able tomonitor actual carrier location.

The central controller may be configured to employ the identificationinformation associated with the carriers in a number of differentscenarios. In a typical scenario, the central controller may receiveidentification information for a carrier positioned at an originationlocation (e.g., via a communications device located at the originationstation). In conjunction with the receipt of the identificationinformation, destination information may be entered by a system userthrough a user interface device located at the origination station. Thecentral controller may then associate the identification informationwith the destination information by one or more central database entriesto initiate a carrier transaction record. In addition to identification,origination and destination information it will be appreciated that thedatabase entries/transaction records may further include, inter alia,one or more of the following: date and/or time information (e.g.,arrival/dispatch times), security information (e.g., accessrestrictions), status information, and/or carrier type information. Thecentral controller may then employ preprogrammed control logic toprocess a given transaction. Most typically, the central controller maydetermine a path for carrier travel through the system and providecontrol instructions to routing controllers to control carrier transportoperations.

Once a carrier reaches a destination station, a communications devicelocated at the destination station may be employed to extract thecorresponding identification information and update transactioninformation associated with the carrier. Such transaction informationmay be stored in the identification device for a given carrier and/orotherwise maintained by the central controller in a central database(e.g., in a transaction record). In the latter case, if the actualdestination of a given carrier is not the same as the intendeddestination, the central controller may provide alarm or other alertsignals to user interfaces provided at either or both of the originationand destination stations.

As mentioned above, the communications devices are positionable atvarious locations throughout the system. These locations may includeorigination/destination stations as well as intermediate locations(i.e., between origination and destination locations). For instance,system routing controllers, e.g., transfer stations, transfer controlunits (TCUs), and multi-linear transport units (MTUs) as well as thesystem's pneumatic tubes may incorporate one or more communicationsdevices. Positioning the communications devices at various locationsthroughout the system provides for monitoring, or tracking, the actuallocation of carriers as they proceed through the system. Suchfunctionality facilitates a number of system capabilities. For instance,such information (e.g., tracking information) can be used by centralcontroller to address issues that may arise through unforeseenconditions in the system, such as the presence of a “floater”.

In one configuration of the system, the plurality of communicationsdevices is radio frequency identification (RFID) compatible, e.g.,wherein each carrier may include a RFID identification chip which isconfigured to communicate with a plurality of antenna devices/readers.Both the antenna devices/readers and the identification chips may beprogrammed in a read-only configuration, wherein information is onlyreadable off a RFID chip by a reader. Alternatively, readers and RFIDchips may be provided for read/write operations, wherein information isreadable from a chip as well as writeable thereon. Further, hybridsystems are employable which provide for both read and limited writefunctions for RFID chips (e.g., certain fields of information on thechips are only readable and other fields of information on the chips arereadable/writable). However, it will be appreciated that othercommunication devices/readers may be utilized. Such devices include,without limitation, bar codes and optical readers.

In one aspect of the present invention, the communication devices andidentification devices allow for maintaining a predetermined inventoryof carriers at different locations throughout the system. In thisregard, records stored accessible by the central controller may includeinventory records for each station and/or carrier within the system.Each time a carrier is dispatched and/or received by a station, a dataentry associated with the quantity of available carriers for such thatstation may be updated. Likewise, the identity of the carrierreceived/dispatched may be cross-checked with the inventory records. Inthis regard, if a user physically transports a carrier between stations,the inventory records of both stations may be accurately adjusted toindicate their actual inventory. That is, the inventory of the stationfrom which the carrier was removed may be adjusted even though thecarrier was dispatched from another station.

Based on the inventory record, spare carriers may be directed to astation having less than a predetermined inventory of carriers. In thisregard, the system may be operative to dynamically maintain apredetermined inventory of carriers at each user station. Statedotherwise, a controller may be operative to automatically redistributeinventory carriers that are either located at carrier storage locationswithin the system or re-entered into the system in an empty state.Carrier storage locations may include, without limitation, systemrouting controllers (e.g., MTUs, TCUs, etc) as well as dedicated emptycarrier storage repositories. Furthermore, such inventories may beestablished and maintained on a carrier-type specific basis, as will bediscussed herein.

In conjunction with providing inventory control of the carriers, thesystem may be operative to provide various user prompts/messages to theuser stations in order to maintain desired inventories. For instance, astation having an excess number of carriers may receive a message orprompt requesting that an empty carrier be returned to the system forredistribution. As will be appreciated, the present aspect allows formaintaining a predetermined inventory of carriers at each user stationwithout necessitating that each carrier be assigned to a particularstation.

In another aspect of the present invention, the system may be configuredto differently route carriers of different types. For example, incertain situations a system operator may wish to use different types ofcarriers to carry different types of material (e.g., between differentsystem zones). That is, the system may be operative to segregate generaluse and special use carriers without human intervention. For instance,in hospital applications, certain carriers may be designated for use incarrying biological materials (e.g., test samples) whereas othercarriers may be utilized for general use (e.g., paperwork). Accordingly,in some instances it may be desirable to prevent co-mingling ofdifferent carriers types and/or utilizing the same transport tubes fordifferent carrier types. In this regard, routing decisions for thecarriers may be based on traffic conditions as well as carrier type.

The system may utilize identification information from the carriers toidentify a carrier type associated with the carriers. Based on thecarrier type, one or more actions within the system may be restricted.For instance, a user may be prevented from sending a special use carrierto a general use station. That is, a carrier type may be compared to anallowable carrier type associated with a destination and/or presentlocation of a carrier. Accordingly, an output may be generated, forexample, a warning indicating that an incompatible carrier/user stationcombination exists. Such warning may be provided on a display deviceand/or as an audible alarm.

In instances when an incompatible carrier/user station combinationexists, the carrier may be dynamically routed to an acceptable recoverylocation. Preferably, identification of incompatible carrier may beprovided to an intended destination station and/or to an originationstation for such an incompatible carrier such that system users may takeremedial steps to recover the carrier.

In another aspect of the present invention, transaction records may begenerated that provide actual travel path information for the carriers.In this regard, the transaction records may identification information,location information, and time information corresponding to when acarrier is located at a given location within the pneumatic carriersystem (e.g., relative to a communications device). Accordingly, thetime and location for the carrier may be stored to the transactionrecord on a computer readable storage medium. As the carrier travelsthrough the system relative to various communication devices therein,additional entries may be added to the transaction record such that atravel path for the carrier may be generated. This travel path may beutilized for monitoring purposes to determine, for example, receipt ofrestricted items (e.g., controlled substances) as well as for systemmaintenance purposes, as will be discussed herein.

In another aspect of the present invention, the system may be operativeto facilitate remedial steps in the event of receipt of asuspect/compromised carrier. For instance, in the event that a receivedcarrier is leaking its contents, a user may provide a suspect carrierinput at the receiving user station.

In response to this input, the system may obtain the identificationinformation of the suspect carrier. Accordingly, this identificationinformation may be correlated with the stored entry/transaction recordsthat include travel path information through the system for the suspectcarrier. Based on this travel path information, one or more portions ofthe travel path through the pneumatic carrier may be deactivated. Suchdeactivated portions of the system may then be treated in a remedialfashion by maintenance personnel. Furthermore, the system may beconfigured to access transaction records associated with all carrierstraveling through the system during a period of time associated with thetransport of the suspect carrier. For instance, all carrierssubsequently passing through the travel path of the suspect carrier maybe identified. In turn, instructive messages may be sent tocorresponding user interfaces so that potentially affected carriers maybe inspected and otherwise handled in accordance with pre-establishedprotocols. As will be appreciated, messages may also be provided systemwide to each user station and/or user interface. Alternatively, thetravel path associated with each of those carriers may be deactivatedfor remedial purposes. Likewise, the entire system may be deactivatedupon receipt of the suspect carrier input.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the identificationinformation associated with each carrier may be utilized to provide aconfirmation of proper carrier location within the system. For instance,upon receiving a pneumatic carrier in the system the identificationinformation from the identification device associated with the pneumaticcarrier may be read. Accordingly, that identification information may beassociated with a transaction record currently associated with thecarrier. A destination location from the transaction record may then becompared with the current location of the pneumatic carrier such thatthe pneumatic carrier may be identified (1) as being at a correctlocation or (2) as being at an incorrect location. In one arrangement,when the carrier is at an incorrect location the method may furtherinclude dynamically re-routing the carrier to the location associatedwith the destination information. That is, the carrier may beautomatically re-routed to its correct destination location.Alternatively and/or in addition, an output may be generated indicatingthe carrier is at an incorrect location. Such an output may be providedat the location of the carrier, the origination location of the carrierand/or an intended destination location for the carrier.

In another aspect of the invention, the system may utilize carriertransaction information to facilitate re-initiation of the system aftera power outage and/or an urgent off situation. That is, subsequent to anurgent off or power loss, each of the carriers in a system needs to beidentified and routed to their intended destinations upon reinitiation.For such purposes, the central controller, which is in communicationwith the various communications devices, may read the identificationinformation from the carriers in the system and then compare theidentification information with database/transaction records. If thecarriers and their corresponding records can be identified, theirrouting information is retrieved from memory and then employed todynamically route the carriers to their destinations in a normalfashion. The controller may be configured to systematically read eachcarrier identification device in all the various temporary storagelocations in the system such as the MTUs and TCUs until the traffic iscleared. If a carrier cannot be identified, it may be moved to arecovery zone. Once all the carriers are either routed to theirdestinations or a recovery zone, the system may resume normaloperations.

In a further aspect of the invention, the system may utilize carriertransaction information to facilitate scheduled carrier maintenance. Byway of example, the central controller may utilize carrier transactioninformation from a database that keeps track of the number oftransactions, or time in service, for each carrier, and compare suchinformation to predetermined maintenance thresholds to determine whethera given carrier should be removed from the system forinspection/maintenance procedures. In the event a maintenance operationand inspection/maintenance operation is in order, the transactioninformation for a given carrier can be utilized to identify the locationof the carrier and provide instructions to the corresponding userstation (e.g., instructions to send the given carrier to ainspection/maintenance location within the system).

In another aspect of the present invention, user interface deviceslocated within the system (e.g., at origination and destinationstations) may be provided to allow system users access and displaytransaction records associated with system carriers. Such records mayinclude the dispatch and/or receipt information for a given carrierand/or for a given station. In this regard, a user may utilize theinterface devices to review transaction histories for carriers and/orstations. Further, such interface devices may be used to provideinformation relating to the occurrence of an event within the system.For instance, a display device associated with such an interface devicemay be operative to provide a visual indication that a pneumatic carrierdispatched from an origination station has arrived at a second locationin the system (e.g., a destination station). Likewise, the destinationstation may be operative to provide an indication that a pneumaticcarrier is destined for that location and/or arrived at that location.Further, the user interface devices may provide indications regardingthe location of one or more carriers as those carriers pass through thesystem (e.g., from an origination station to a destination system).

The visual indications generated at the user interfaces regarding theoccurrence of an event within the system may include text messages. Suchtext messages may indicate, inter alia, the origination location of acarrier, a destination location for the carrier, an identification of asending party, an identification of a receiving party, the priority ofthe carrier, an indication of the contents of the carrier and/or acurrent status of the carrier (e.g., in transit, ETA, etc.). Preferably,such messages may be displayed proximate to the user stations for userconvenience. In one particular arrangement of the present aspect, thedisplay device may provide a graphical representation of the pneumaticcarrier system. Such a graphical representation may include visualindicia (e.g., icons) that relate to system components such asdestination/origination stations, transfer units, blowers, tubes etc.Accordingly, the position of one or more pneumatic carriers may bedepicted on the graphical representation of the pneumatic carriersystem. These positions may be updated such that the movement of thecarriers through the system may be monitored (e.g., in substantiallyreal-time).

As will be appreciated, use of a graphical representation of thepneumatic carrier system may further allow for providing a visualindication of the current status of one or more systems within thesystem. For instance, if a portion of the system is offline or otherwiseinactive, appropriate representation may be provided on the graphicalrepresentation. Furthermore, such a graphical representation may beprovided on a user interface that is not associated with a particulardestination and/or origination location. That is, such a graphicalrepresentation may be provided at a central controller/systemadministrator location such that overall status of the system may bemonitored remotely. As will be appreciated, a graphical user interfacemay be incorporated in to the present arrangement to allow touch screencontrol of various system functions.

Numerous additional configurations and advantages of the presentinvention as facilitated by the present invention would be apparent tothose skilled in the art upon consideration of the further descriptionthat follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 discloses a mechanical diagram for the pneumatic carrier system.

FIG. 2 discloses a system diagram for the operation and monitoring ofthe pneumatic carrier system.

FIG. 3 discloses a view of the pneumatic carrier including anidentification chip.

FIG. 4 discloses a geometric view of a transfer carrier unit (TCU).

FIG. 5 discloses a view of a multi-linear transfer unit (MTU).

FIG. 6 a and b disclose views of carrier stations within the pneumaticcarrier system.

FIG. 7 discloses one embodiment of a user interface that may be usedwith the carrier stations.

FIG. 8 shows a first display output of a user interface.

FIG. 9 shows a second display output of a user interface.

FIG. 10 shows a first display of a graphical user interface.

FIG. 11 shows a second display of a graphical user interface.

FIG. 12 a and b disclose flow charts which describe the typicaloperation of the pneumatic carrier system with RFID capability.

FIGS. 13 a and b disclose flow charts which describe the operation ofthe pneumatic carrier system with RFID capability after an urgent off orloss of power.

FIG. 14 discloses a flow chart which describes the operation of thepneumatic carrier system with RFID capability for identifying androuting clean and dirty carriers.

FIG. 15 discloses a flow chart which describes the operation of thepneumatic carrier system with RFID capability for confirming the receiptof carriers at destination locations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed in FIG. 1 is a system diagram for a pneumatic carrier system10 within which the invention described herein is employable. Ingeneral, the pneumatic carrier system 10 transport pneumatic carriersbetween various user stations 16, 18, each such transport operationbeing referred to herein as a “transaction”. At each of the userstations 16, 18, a user may insert a carrier, select/enter a destinationaddress/identification and a transaction priority, and then send thecarrier. The system determines an optimum path to route the carrier andbegins directing the carrier through the system.

Interconnected with each station 16, 18 is a transfer unit 20 whichorders carriers arriving through different tubes from a differentstations 16, 18 into a single pneumatic tube. This pneumatic tube isfurther in connection with a vacuum by-pass transfer unit 21 (i.e., turnaround transfer unit) and a blower 22 that provides the drivingpneumatic force for container movement. A set of transfer units 20, ablower 22 and one or more stations 16, 18 typically define a singlezone, with a corresponding by-pass transfer unit 21 being a point ofconnection to a network and the other zones connected thereto.

Within the system 10 itself, one or more devices are employable forordering and routing carriers to their selected destinations. One typeof device is a traffic control unit (TCU) 14 which is employable toreceive, temporarily store and release a number of carriers. In certainconfigurations, one or more TCUs 14 may be provided to operate as linearstorage devices, e.g., on a first in first out (FIFO) basis or last infirst out (LIFO) basis. In other configurations, one or more TCUs 14 maybe provided to operate as matrix style storage devices which storecarriers in two-dimensional matrixes, wherein each carrier is separatelystorable, retrievable and releasable without movement of other carriersstored in the matrix.

Also included in the system 10 are multi-linear transfer units (MTUs) 12which have functionality to direct carriers from one pneumatic tube toanother. For example, a MTU 12 may receive a carrier released by a TCU14 in a first tube and direct the carrier along a second pneumatic tubein the system 10 to complete a given transaction. The configuration ofthe TCUs 14 and MTUs 12 will be described in greater detail below.

All of the components described in FIG. 1 are electronically connectedto a central controller which controls their operation. Disclosed inFIG. 2 is an electrical system diagram for the pneumatic carrier system10 described herein. Providing centralized control for the entirepneumatic carrier system 10 is a system central controller (SCC) 30. TheSCC 30 may include a digital processor and memory. SCC 30 may beconfigured as one or more programmable digital computers. Connectable tothe SCC 30 may be one or more user interfaces 32 through which a systemuser may monitor the operations of the system and/or manually enter oneor more commands to control its operation. Typically, at least one userinterface 32 is located at or within an area serviced by stations 16,18. For example, in a medical facility application, one or more userstations 16, 18 and at least one user interface 32 may be providedwithin each emergency room, laboratory, nursing station, etc. In thisregard, the user interface may be contained in the stations 16, 18, orbe stand-alone units.

Each of the components described above in relation to FIG. 1 may includeone or more electrical and/or electro-mechanical components whichprovide for the physical movement of a carrier within the system 10and/or the obtainment/provision of information relating to the locationof the carriers within the system 10.

In this regard, components 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 2are representations of the various electrical and electro-mechanicalsystems that may be employed by the pneumatic carrier system 10.Although in FIG. 2 they are represented single blocks, one skilled inthe art will realize that the block for each type of device representsthe electronics for a number of the same or similar type of componentspositioned throughout the system which provides for its operation.

Of note, incorporated into each of the user stations 16, 18, MTUs 12 andTCUs 14 is at least one antenna device/reader 40 configured to energizeand retrieve identification information from identification devices suchas ID chips incorporated into each of the carriers. As will beappreciated, the utilization of antenna devices/readers 40 and carrierID chips yield significant advantages in the described system 10.

Disclosed in the FIG. 3 is a view of a pneumatic system carrier 100which includes at least one identification device, or, as shown ID chip29. Though shown as a small, integrated chip, it will be appreciatedthat other identification devices may be used and that the configurationand location of the identification device may vary. For instance, theidentification device may be formed as a band disposed about thecircumference of the carrier 100 to allow reading the identificationdevice by an antenna device/reader 40 irrespective of the orientation ofthe carrier 100. In a typical carrier, the carrier 100 includes firstand second shell members 34 and 36 which are adjoinably cylindrical incross-section for use in correspondingly cylindrical tubes of the system10. The shell members 34 and 36 may be pivotably interconnected by ahinge member (not shown), and latches 28 may be provided for securingthe first shell member to the second shell member in a closedconfiguration. Also included as part of the carrier 100 are wear bands44, 48.

Incorporated into one of the shell members 34, 36 and/or wear bands 44,48 (e.g., disposed beneath one or both bands 44, 48) is the ID chip 29.This ID chip 29 is configured to store and provide access toidentification information written thereon. In one configuration of thesystem, the ID chip 29 may be a read-only chip. That is, an antennadevice 40 may only read information off the ID chip 29. Typically, thesetypes of ID chips 29, or tags, are sequentially numbered at a productionfacility to ensure that the customer gets tags with truly uniquenumbers. Further, such ID chips 29 may be encrypted or include encryptedinformation such as a code that may be, for example, specific to a givensystem 10. Use of such encryption may prevent the use of non-authorizedcarriers 100 in the system 10, which may not be correctly configured forthe system 10.

Alternatively, ID chips 29 may be provided so that an antenna 40 maywrite information to the ID chips 29 as well as read data therefrom. Forexample, information corresponding with an origination station, time ofdeparture, intended destination station, actual destination stationand/or time of arrival may be written into the chips 29. Further, theidentity of a person who has performed a certain operation in relationto a transported material can be written to the corresponding ID chip 29along with the date and time the action was performed. When the carrier100 containing the material moves from a first station 16, 18 to asecond station 16, 18, information can be read off the ID chip 29 andsent to the SCC 30 (e.g., for storage). In some instances, the ID chips29 may be read while the carrier 100 is in motion (i.e., on the fly). Inthis regard, antenna device/readers may be incorporated into pneumatictubes within the system 10 as well as the system components such as 12,14, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 22. In any case, data read from the ID chips 29can then be stored and augmented and/or replaced by identity, date andtime information corresponding with further actions performed at asecond station location.

Another alternative is a hybrid system that uses write capable ID chips29 that are custom configured by the user in a read-only system. Anexample of the type of information that may be written on such an IDchip 29 may include a home station/identification address for eachcarrier 100. In such arrangements, after a carrier 100 has reached adestination station, the corresponding home station information may beaccessed and employed to automatically return the carrier 100 to a homestation upon initiation of an empty send operation at the destinationstation.

As was noted above, antennas devices/readers 40 may be incorporated intoeach of the various user stations 16, 18, TCUs 14 and MTUs 16 of apneumatic tube system. Disclosed in FIG. 4 is a breakaway view of anexemplary MTU 12 embodiment including an antenna device/reader 40. Ascan be seen, the MTU 12 is interconnected with a number of incomingtubes 56 through which carriers are delivered to the MTU 12. Exitingfrom the MTU 12 are a number of exit tubes 56 which direct a carrier toa destination zone. Included in the MTU 12 is a carrier delivery device72 (e.g., a bucket 72) which is moveable along guides 74 and 76 so as toreceive carriers directed to the MTU 12 through pneumatic tubes 56 andthen, in response to an instruction signal received from the SCC 30, ifnecessary, move the received carrier along the guides 74 and 76 to alignthe carrier with a selected exit pneumatic tube 56. Once a pneumaticvacuum force is applied to the selected exit tube 56, the bucket 72releases the carrier.

Also included in the MTU 12 are one or more antenna devices/readers 40.These antenna devices/readers 40 are in communication with the SCC andconfigured to perform the read functions and write functions, if soconfigured, in relation to the ID chips incorporated into carriers whichpass through the MTU 12. As can be seen, a number of antennadevices/readers 40 may be positioned relative to the pneumatic tubes 56such that the movement of a carrier into and out of each of thepneumatic tubes 56 may be monitored.

Disclosed in FIG. 5 is a breakaway view of an exemplary TCU 14embodiment interconnected with a pneumatic carrier tube 56 within thesystem 10. The TCU 14 includes a sleeve portion 50 which is sized toreceive and hold a number of carriers 100. The TCU 50 includes a receiptmechanism 60 which provides for the entry of carriers 100 into thesleeve portion 50. Also included is an exit mechanism 52, controllableby the SCC 30, which provides for the release of a carrier 100 from theTCU 14. Also includable in the TCU 14 is at least one antennadevice/reader 40 which may be employable to identify carriers 100received within the TCU 14 and provide this information to the SCC 30.In one configuration, antenna device/reader 40 may encircle a portion ofthe TCU 50, and when an ID chip 29 on a carrier 100 passes withinproximity of the antenna device/reader 53, the identificationinformation may be extracted therefrom. In the configuration of thesystem where the TCU 14 is constructed of mostly metallic materials, theportion of the TCU 14 in which the antenna device/reader 40 is locatedmay be constructed of a material that is different from the rest of theTCU 14. For example, this portion may be made of a plastic material soas not to interfere with the operation of the antenna device/reader 40.

Returning again to the electrical system diagram of FIG. 2, it may beseen that various transfer units 20, 21 and blowers 22 are alsoelectrically connectable to the SCC 30. Through these connections, SCC30 may send command signals to these devices so that they are actuatedand operating at particular times and in particular sequences to affectthe completion of the various carrier transactions. Other signalsexchanged may include various monitoring signals that indicate thedevices are operating as desired.

As shown in FIG. 2, the SCC 30 is connectable to the various stations16, 18 throughout the pneumatic carrier system 10 which are theorigination and destination points for carriers 100. Signals transmittedbetween the SCC 30 and the stations 16, 18 relate to carrieridentification information. Further, signals transmitted between userinterfaces 32 and the SCC 30 may relate to destination and priorityinformation entered for particular transactions, indications that atransaction has been initiated and/or completed, and various operationalsignals (e.g., alarms) which relate to the operational status of a userstation 16, 18.

The SCC 30 is further connectable to a transaction archive 33, ordatabase, which is configured to store transaction information forcarriers 100 moving within the system 10. The transaction informationmay include identification information for carriers 100 moving throughthe system and destination information entered by a system user.Further, the transaction information may include location informationobtained via tracking inputs received from antenna devices/readers 40located at user stations 16, 18, TCUs 12 and MTUs 16 along the travelpath of a given carrier 100. The transaction information may alsoinclude security information entered by system user to limit who mayreceive the carrier 100. Still further, transaction information may alsoinclude a designation of a “type” of a carrier 100 as well asinformation as to whether a carrier 100 has reached a selecteddestination. The use of this transaction data will be described ingreater detailed below.

The external systems 35 connected may depend on the purpose of thepneumatic carrier system 10. For example, the external systems 35 mayinclude a lab information system, a pharmacy information system, apatient information system, as well as a security information system.

In operation, the antenna devices/readers 40 positioned throughout thepneumatic carrier system identify carriers 100 as they pass from onelocation to another. Generally, when a carrier 100 is to be employed forcarrying some type of object from an origination station 16, 18 to adestination station 16, 18, it may be identified using the antennadevice/reader 40 at the origination station 16, 18. Once a destinationis selected for the particular carrier 100, the identificationinformation may be associated with the path calculated for the carrier100 through the pneumatic carrier system 10 and the destination. Thisinformation may be stored in a data entry (e.g., transaction record)within the transaction archive 33. As the carrier 100 moves from onelocation to another, the antenna device/reader 40 at the variouslocations will energize the ID chip 29 and extract the identificationinformation. Once a carrier 100 reaches a destination, the ID chip 29information may then be confirmed against transactions that are intendedto be received at the particular destination. Additionally, upon arrivalat a destination, a confirmation may be provided to the originationstation.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are front views of a station 16 which is employable inthe pneumatic carrier system 10 described herein. As shown, the station16 includes a dispatcher connected to a pneumatic tube 56 that isemployable for transporting and delivering carriers 100 to and from thestation 16. Also included with the station 16 is a user interface 32that includes a control panel 108 that has a number of interactivedevices which a system user may employ for entering data including, forexample, destination information, priority information, and securityinformation (e.g., a personal identification number (PIN)). The controlpanel 108 is also employable for entering data for a carrier 100received at a station. For example, if a carrier 100 has a securitylimitation associated with it, release authorization information can beentered to complete delivery of the carrier 100 at the destinationlocation. Also included with the user interface 32 is a display 110which is configured to present messages relating to transaction andsystem status which are viewable by a system user. The use of the userinterface 32 will be described in greater detail below.

Also positioned relative to the dispatcher 60 are a carrier holder 62and an antenna device/reader 40. As with the other antennadevices/readers 40 described above, this device is configured to readinformation, and write information if so configured, on an ID chip 29incorporated into a carrier 100. Though shown as utilizing a singleantenna device/reader 40, it will be appreciated that the station 16 mayinclude two or more such devices. That is, the station 16 may include afirst antenna device/reader for reading ID chips 29 on carriers that arereceived by the station 16 (e.g., prior to releasing the receivedcarrier in response to an authorization code) as well as a secondantenna device/reader 40 associated with the dispatcher 60. The holder62 is configured such that a system user may place a carrier on theholder 62 and enter destination information through the control panel108. Once all the appropriate information has been entered, thedispatcher 60 will move the carrier 100 into a pneumatic tube 56 fortransport to a selected destination.

FIGS. 6-11 illustrate the use of the user interface 32 to performvarious functions within the system 10. In particular, FIGS. 6 a, 6 b,and 7 show one embodiment of a user interface 32 that may beincorporated into sending/receiving stations 16. As shown, the userinterface 32 includes the control panel 108 and a display 110. Thecontrol panel 108 includes a number of “speed-dial” buttons 12 that maybe programmed to allow a user to insert a carrier 100 into thedispatcher 60, select a preprogrammed destination station by depressinga corresponding speed-dial button 112, and dispatch the carrier 100 bydepressing the send/enter button 114.

In addition, the control panel 108 includes a numeric keypad 116 for usein manually entering, for example, destination station information. Thecontrol panel 108 also includes a number of general action buttonsincluding, for example, an empty return/send button 118 that allows forreturning an empty carrier 100 to the system 10 for distribution tostations 16 that may be deficient of carriers 100. Further, the controlpanel 108 includes track carrier 120 and call carrier 122 functions,respectively, that will be discussed herein. Finally, the control panel108 includes a menu button 124 that allows for accessing further systemfunctions via the display 110.

Illustrative functions that may be accessed via the menu button 124 inuse of the display 110 may include, without limitation, special userfunctions, administrative functions, station operating helpinstructions, and/or a station directory for use in identifyingdestination stations. In this regard, upon depressing the menu button124, a list of options may be provided within the display 110. The usermay then use the up and down buttons 126, 128 for use in scrollingthrough listed menu options. A desired option may be highlighted on thescreen utilizing the buttons 126, 128 and selected by depressing thesend/enter button 114.

Special functions may include activating and deactivating the station16. In this regard, a station 16 may be deactivated when a user is notpresent. Likewise, the station 16 may be reactivated when a user ispresent. Further, carriers 100 may be forwarded to another station inthe system 10. As will be appreciated, utilization of such specialfunctions may require a user to enter a personal identification number(PIN) or other authorization code using, for example, the numericalkeypad 116. Additional functions that may be incorporated into thespecial functions menu may include viewing incoming carriers 100 (e.g.,by depressing the call carrier button 122), which may allow a user toidentify, for example, how many carriers are destined for the station16, 18, priority status for the carrier(s) and/or the origin of theincoming carrier(s). Further, the menu button 124 may be utilized to seta number of alarms or other audible indicators. Such indicators mayinclude an indicator upon arrival of a carrier 100 that sounds each timea carrier 100 arrives, or a full station indicator that sounds when thestation 16, 18 is full and cannot receive any additional carriers 100.

The track carrier button 120 allows for a user of a station 16, 18 totrack the progress of a carrier 100 as it proceed to its destination. Inthis regard, a user may place a carrier 100 in the station dispatcher 60and depress the track carrier button 120 on the control pad 108. Theuser may then enter the destination station's identification or,alternatively, select a speed dial 112 corresponding to the destinationstation and then press the send/enter button 114.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary textual output of the display 110 upondeparture of a carrier 100 for which tracking has been requested. Asshown, the antenna device/reader 40 associated with the departurestation 16, 18 reads the ID chip 29 on the carrier 100. In this case,the carrier is identified as number 321. Further, the display 110 mayinclude such information as the station from which the carrier 100 wasdispatched as well as the dispatch time, date, and carrier destination.The output of the display 110 may also be sent to the SCC 30 for storagein the transaction archive 33. See FIG. 2. In this regard, the output ofthe display 110 may correspond to a transaction record for the dispatchand receipt of a given carrier between stations.

FIG. 9 illustrates output of the display 110 upon the carrier 100arriving at its destination station. In this regard, the display 110output shows the time when the carrier 100 was received at thedestination station. As will be appreciated, the destination station 16,18 may utilize an antenna device/reader 40 to read the ID chip 29 of thecarrier 100 received by that station 16, 18 to confirm the carrier 100is indeed the carrier 100 (e.g., ID no. 321) that was sent by theorigination station 16. That is, the information read from the carrier100 may be checked against the transaction record, which may be storedat the archive 33. Finally, it will be noted that the transaction recorddisplayed by the departure station 16 may also be displayed at thearrival station (e.g., incoming carrier). Additionally, the transactionrecord may be stored within the archive 33 by the SCC 30 for futureretrieval purposes. In this regard, all transactions occurring withinthe system 10 may be stored.

As all transactions performed by the system may be stored within thearchive 33, users may have the ability to retrieve past transactions. Aswill be appreciated, such functionality may be desirable for auditingpurposes and/or for system cleaning purposes upon detection of a leakingcarrier. In this regard, through an interface 32, a user may accessprevious dispatches and/or receipts (transactions) by an identifiedstation. Such transactions may be provided in chronological order and/orby the order in which carriers passed through a selected portion of thesystem. Access to such information may require pass code authorization.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show an alternate embodiment of a user interface 32 thatmay be utilized with the user stations 16, 18 and/or in stand-alone userinterfaces 32. In particular, FIGS. 10 and 11 show a graphical userinterface 132 that may be utilized in conjunction with a personalcomputer or other display device. For instance, such a graphical userinterface 132 may be incorporated into the user stations 16, 18 and mayfurther utilize a touch screen monitor to allow for selecting systemtransaction options. As shown, the graphical user interface 132 mayprovide a graphical depiction of components within the system 10. Thatis, the interface provides visual indicia, for example, icons thatrelate to the system components and lay out of the system 10. Forinstance, the graphical user interface my provide visual indicia of theblower(s) 22, bypass transfer units 21, transfer units 20, user stations18, etc. Furthermore, a position of a given carrier may be depicted onthe graphical user interface 132. In this regard, a user may visuallymonitor the progress of a given transaction as a carrier 100 passesthrough the system 10. Accordingly, antennae devices/readers 40 may beincorporated throughout the system 10 for use in monitoring the progressof a given carrier transaction. The graphical user interface 132 mayincorporate any of the functions discussed above in regard to the userinterface of FIGS. 7-9.

The graphical user interface 132 may further include a number of tabs134 and/or pull down menus to allow a user to access differentfunctions. For instance, by selecting the event log tab 134A, a user mayaccess transaction histories for an identified station 16, 18 and/orcarrier 100. It will be appreciated that the user station 16, 18 may beselected via the graphical user interface 132 (e.g., utilizing a mouseor touch screen system). Furthermore, it will be noted that atransaction record similar to that shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may beoverlaid onto a portion of the graphical user interface 132 formonitoring purposes.

As shown in FIG. 10, the system tab 134B is selected such that theconfiguration of the entire system 10 is provided on the graphical userinterface 132. Referring to FIG. 11, it will be noted that the riser tab134C is selected such that a single zone may be shown. Of course,variations may be made as deemed fit by a user and/or systemadministrator.

Referring again to FIG. 10, it will be noted that the graphical userinterface 132 allows for showing the status 136 of various sections ofthe system 10. In this regard, by utilizing shading and/or color-coding,the status of various components within the system 10 may be visuallyindicated. For instance, if a user station is signed off (i.e.,inactive), the graphical depiction on the graphical user interface mayindicate that the particular user station 16, 18 is inactive by showingthe station in a predetermined “inactive color,” or, by not displayingthe inactive station. Further, if certain portions of the system 10 areclearing, down, partially active, purging carriers and/or loadingcarriers, appropriate visual indications may be provided on the screen.

The use of a graphical user interface 132 provides an intuitiveinterface for users of the system. Furthermore, the graphical userinterface 132 in conjunction with the ID chips 29 on the carriers allowsfor a system administrator to monitor all carrier traffic currentlywithin the system and/or located at user station 16, 18 (e.g., awaitingprocessing).

Further, the system 10 described herein is also employable foridentifying carriers in case of non-typical circumstances. Some of thenon-typical circumstances will be described in greater detail below.

Disclosed in FIGS. 12 a and b are flowcharts which describe the typicaloperation of the system when a carrier 100 is put in the system 10 at astation 16, 18 and a destination location is selected. As a first stepof the process (1200), the system will read (1202) carrier information(e.g., identification) off the ID chip 29 incorporated into the carrier100. If there is a read failure at this point, that is, if IDinformation cannot be read (1204) from the ID chip 29, an error messagewill be posted (1208) on the display 110 at the station 16, 18. If an IDis read, the destination information entered by a system user at thestation 16, 18 is received (1212) and employed to create a transactionwhich is then associated (1216) with the carrier ID for the particularcarrier 100. This transaction may then be stored in the transactionarchive 33 for future access. The SCC 30 will then calculate (1220) apath through the system 10 for the carrier 10 based on the destinationinformation. The carrier 10 is then routed (1224) through the system 10accordingly.

One purpose of the present invention is to reduce the potential formisdirected carriers 100 in the system 10. Many systems include multiplecarrier lines and have generally higher overall traffic levels and assuch, the incidence of a “floater” (i.e., an out of sync carrier) willgreatly disrupt the typically first-in-first-out (FIFO) processing oftransactions. As such, as a carrier 100 is routed through the system 10in typical operations, an ID chip 29 may be read and analyzed atmultiple locations in the system 10 to verify that the intendeddestination of the carrier 100 (the destination where the SCC will sendcarrier based on FIFO) is the same as the destination for thetransaction associated with the carrier ID.

The process (1230) performed by the system 10 during the routing andmonitoring of the carrier 100 through the system 10 are described in theflowchart of FIG. 12 b. As was mentioned above, antenna devices/readers40 are located throughout the system in such locations as the MTUs andTCUs, and are employed to monitor the carriers 100. At each of thelocations, the antenna devices/readers 40 read the ID information of theID chips 29 and provide this to the SCC 30. Upon reading (1240) an IDchip 29 for a particular carrier 100 to obtain a particular carrier ID,transaction information for the particular carrier ID will then beretrieved (1244). The destination associated with the transactioninformation for the carrier 100 will be compared (1248) against thelocation of the carrier 100. Every time the carrier ID is read at alocation within the system 100, a determination is made as to whetherthe particular carrier 100 matches the destination for the transactioncurrently being processed. For a match, the system processes the carrier100 in a normal fashion (1252).

If the carrier ID does not match the destination information of thetransaction being processed, a further query is made as to whether thereis destination information stored in memory which is associated with theparticular carrier ID (1256). If there is not any destinationinformation associated with the particular carrier ID, the carrier 100is then routed to a recovery station and a warning is posted (1260). Ifthere is a destination associated with the carrier ID, the SCC 30adjusts its traffic pattern and routes the carrier 100 accordingly(1264). At that point, the antenna device/reader 40 at the location isready to process the next carrier 100.

Traditional pneumatic carrier systems can have a maximum number ofcarriers in transit of approximately 1 carrier per zone plus the numberof inter-zone storage lines. The system 10 described in FIG. 1 may havea maximum number of carriers in transit approximately equal to thenumber of parking spaces (TCU slots) in addition to the pressure/vacuumtransactions. During operation of a pneumatic carrier system, the system10 may experience an urgent off or a power loss. In the event of anurgent off or a loss of system power the traffic pattern information maybe lost and as such the carriers 100 within the system 10 need to beidentified and re-routed to their intended destination. The carrier IDantenna devices/readers 40 are employable to obtain identificationinformation for each of the carriers 100 in the system 10.

Disclosed in FIGS. 13 a and b is a flowchart which describes in detailthe process (1300) performed by the system 10 after an urgent off or aloss of power. Initially, the system 10 will detect (1304) that anurgent off or a power loss has occurred. At this point, thepressure/vacuum (P-V) zones will be purged and carriers found within thesystem will be moved (1308) to designated zones or to the neareststation for identification and redirection. The TCUs 14 may then bepowered/vacuumed to allow carriers therein to reach a final orintermediate destination (1312). At this point, the slide gates of theMTUs 12 may be cleared (1316) and the bucket 72 may be checked (1320)for a carrier 100. If a carrier 100 is detected in the bucket 72, thecarrier ID is read (1324). If no ID is read, the carrier 100 is sent(1328) to a recovery zone. A warning or alarm is posted by the SCC 30indicating that this has been done.

If the carrier ID is read (1324), the SCC 30 attempts accesses (1332)the achieve 33 and attempts to match the carrier ID with a particulartransaction in the archive 33. The SCC determines (1334) if there is anin progress transaction associated with the carrier ID. If there is noin progress transaction associated with the carrier ID, the carrier issent (1328) to the designated MTU recovery zone. A warning or alarm maybe posted indicating a transaction has been sent to the recovery zone.If there is an active transaction in progress that matches the carrierID, the transaction is reinitiated (1338) and the carrier 100 isprocessed normally to its destination. The transaction may then be notedin an archive as being recovered.

When the 12 MTU is determined (1342) to be clear of carriers 100, eachTCU 14 above each MTU 12 is checked (1346) for carriers 100. In thisregard, the TCU's 14 may be checked sequentially until all TCU's 14 havebeen checked (1350). More particularly, each TCU 14 is identified in apredetermined order (1354) and checked for carriers 100. This may beaccomplished by positioning (1358) the bucket 72 of the correspondingMTU 12 under the currently active TCU 14 and confirming that all slidegate and gripper assemblies in the TCU 14 are closed and then running(1362) the transfer belt in the TCU 14 for a designated in period oftime sufficient to clear the TCU 14 of carriers(s). In this regard, thebucket 72 of the MTU 12 is monitored (1366) to detect a carrier that maybe received from the TCU 14. If a carrier 100 is detected in the bucket72, as was discussed above, the SCC 30 attempts to read (1324) thecarrier ID, and then based on the success of the reading and thelocation of any associated transaction information in the archive 33,either reinitiates deliver (1338) of the carrier 100 to its selecteddestination or sends (1328) the carrier 100 to a designated recoveryzone.

If no carrier 100 is detected in the bucket 72 after the belt runningperiod, the SCC 30 then cycles through all the TCU's 14 above the MTU12. After each TCU 14 has been verified empty, each bi-pass transferunit 21 and transfer unit 20 above the MTU 12 are checked sequentiallyfor the number of carriers 100 present, if any. In this regard, a firsttransfer unit 20 is selected (1372) and a reader is utilized to read(1392) an ID chip of a carrier in the transfer unit 20, if a carrier ispresent. If no carrier is present, the next transfer unit 20 isselected. If a carrier is present, the carrier ID of the carrier 100compared with transaction files. If the carrier ID does not match atransaction file (1380), the carrier 100 is processed into the MTU andsent (1384) to the MTU recovery station. A warning may then be posted bythe SCC indicating a transaction has been sent to the recovery station.

If there is a transaction in the process transaction file that matchesthe carrier ID, the transaction is reinitiated and the carrier isprocessed (1388) normally to its destination. The transaction is notedin the archive as being recovered. Each TCU is then directed to identify(1392) any remaining carriers, one carrier at a time. Theabove-described steps are repeated until all the staged carriers havebeen processed (i.e., sent to the MTU recovery station or sent to theintended destination). After all the staged transactions have beenprocessed, the system is available to process transactions normally.

Another feature which may be incorporated in the system described hereinis the means to accurately segregate general use and special usecarriers without human intervention. In some systems it is desirable tolimit the distribution of biohazards and carriers that had previouslytransported biohazards. General use carriers may be defined as thosecarriers that are used to transport only non-biohazard material whilespecial use carriers may be defined as those characters that are used totransport only biohazards. For example, general areas such as pharmacyand administration may use general use carriers while laboratory relatedareas utilize only the special use carriers. Nursing areas may utilize amix of general use and special use carriers.

In order to implement such system, it may be required that the carrierID be read at each station 16, 18, at each TCU 14 and at the MTU bucket72. Every carrier 100 must also be equipped with a carrier ID. Prior tostart up or implementation of this capability, every carrier 100 must beidentified to the SCC has either general use or special use.Additionally, every carrier must be physically identified as general useor special use. As new carriers are introduced into the system 10 thereshould be some maintenance function that allows a carrier to beidentified as general use or special use.

A process (1400) for controlling the routing of general use and specialuse carriers is described in the flowchart of FIG. 14. In operation, acarrier 100 is initially inserted into a dispatcher 60 of a station 16,18. At this point the carrier ID is read (1404) at the station 16, 18and identified (1408) as either general use or special use. If nocarrier ID is read the transaction is not allowed and a message postedat the origin station 16, 18 indicating that the carrier 100 does notinclude an ID and must be taken out of service (1412). Further, an alarmmay also be provided to the SCC (1412).

If the carrier 100 does have an ID and an empty carrier return functionis selected (1416) by a user, the carrier 100 may be identified asgeneral use or special use. Then a destination may be identified (1420)based on the need for that carrier type at a particular station 16, 18.The SCC may then transmit (1424) the carrier to the identified station16, 18.

If it is determined that the carrier 100 does include an ID and theempty carrier return function is not selected, a destination may then bereceived through the user interface 32 and associated (1428) with thecarrier ID. At this point, the SCC 30 may make the determination (1432)as to whether the destination accepts general use and/or special usecarriers. It is possible that a particular destination may accept bothtypes of carriers. If the carrier type is not allowed at the destinationchosen, the transaction is disallowed and a message is posted (1436) atthe origin station 16, 18 which states “destination station does notaccept general use/special use carriers.” If the carrier type is allowedat the selected destination station 16, 18, the SCC 30 processed thecarrier 100 normally (1440).

Another process performed by the system described herein is theverification of the successful completion of the transaction withouthuman intervention. Additional capabilities include the SCC 30 flaggingcarriers 100 that did not arrive at their correct destination so thatthe SCC 30 will better assist maintenance personnel to ascertain theintended destination of carriers 100 after a system purge. Thisparticular process also provides documentation and error reporting.

A flow chart describing the steps performed in the flagging process(1500) is provided in FIG. 15. The flagging process (1500) will requirethat the carrier ID be read at the dispatch and destination station, aswell as at each TCU 14 and at the MTU bucket 72. Additionally, everycarrier 100 in the system must be equipped with the carrier ID chip 29.Still further, the SCC transaction archive 33 must be modified toinclude a delivery confirmation field. Possible entries in this fieldmay include: “N/A” indicates carrier ID has not been implemented on thesystem, “Yes” indicates a delivery of the carrier has been confirmed byvalidating the carrier ID at the destination station, “No” indicate thecarrier ID at the destination station did not match the carrier IDassociated with the transaction, and “No Read” indicates the station wasunable to determine the carrier ID associated with the transactiondelivered to the destination station.

In operation, a carrier 100 will initially arrive at a slide plate abovea station 16, 18 and set a sensor. At this point an attempt is made toread (1504) the carrier ID. A determination is made as to if the carrierID can be read (1508). If no carrier ID is read after a certain amountof time, the slide plate is directed to open. The destination stationwill confirm to the SCC 30 the “No Read” and an alarm warning is posted(1512) at the SCC 30. At this point the “No Read” is posted in thetransaction delivery confirmation field. If the carrier ID is read, theslide plate is directed to open and the stations 16, 18 provide (1516)the SCC 30 with the carrier ID. However, in situations where securityinformation is associated with a transaction, this security informationmay have to be entered at the destination in order for the carrier 100to be released.

At this point the SCC 30 attempts to verify (1520) the carrier ID withthe carrier ID associated with the transaction expected to be at thedestination station 16, 18. If the carrier ID's match a “Yes” is posted(1524) in the transaction delivery confirmation field. If the carrierID's do not match an alarm may be initiated at the SCC 30, originstation and/or the destination station. Further, a “No Delivery” isposted (1528) in the transaction delivery confirmation field. At thispoint the station is then able to receive the next carrier.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, thedescription is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosedherein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with theabove teachings, and the skill or knowledge of the relevant art, withinthe scope of the present invention. The embodiments describedhereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known forpracticing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art toutilize the invention in such, or other, embodiments and with variousmodifications required by the particular applications or uses of thepresent invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construedto include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the priorart.

1. (canceled)
 2. A system for use in the operation of a pneumaticcarrier system comprising: a plurality of communications devicespositioned at different locations within a pneumatic carrier system,each said communications device being configured to receive informationfrom identification devices associated with pneumatic carriers withinthe system when the pneumatic carriers are proximally located to eachthe communications device; a plurality of interface devices positionedat stations within the pneumatic carrier system, each interface devicebeing operative to receive destination information associated with atleast one of the pneumatic carriers; and a controller in communicationwith the communications devices and interface devices, the controllerbeing configured to: associate the pneumatic carriers with destinationinformation received for the pneumatic carriers through at least one ofthe interface devices; route the pneumatic carriers through thepneumatic carrier system based on the destination information for thepneumatic carriers; receive information from the communications deviceswhen the identification devices associated with the pneumatic carriersbecome proximally located to the communications devices while beingrouted through said pneumatic carrier system; and based on theinformation received from the identification devices, identify and storethe locations of the pneumatic carriers as they pass through thepneumatic carrier system.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein thecommunications devices each comprise an antenna and reader.
 4. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the communications devices and identificationdevices are radio frequency identification (RFID) compatible.
 5. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the communication devices are positionablewithin the pneumatic carrier system at, at least one of: pneumaticcarrier origination locations; pneumatic carrier destination locations;and junctions within the pneumatic carrier system.
 6. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the communications devices are further configured toperform at least one write function which writes data to theidentification devices associated with the pneumatic carriers.
 7. Thesystem of claim 2, wherein the central controller is further configuredto control transportation of the pneumatic carriers based on securityinformation entered through at least one of the interface devices. 8.The system of claim 2, further including at least one databaseconfigured to archive and provide access to transaction informationassociated with the pneumatic carriers within the pneumatic carriersystem.
 9. The System of claim 2, wherein the transaction informationincludes, for at least one carrier, at least one of: identificationinformation; origination information; destination information; securityinformation; status information; carrier type information; a departuretime for at least one transaction; and an arrival time for at least onetransaction.
 10. The system of claim 2, wherein the identificationinformation includes at least one of: a numerical identifier for apneumatic carrier; a carrier type identifier; an encrypted code for thepneumatic carrier.
 11. The system of claim 2, wherein the centralcontroller is further configured to systematically re-identify and routethe pneumatic carriers in the system in the occurrence of at least oneof: a power outage and a urgent off of the system.
 12. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to limit therouting of the pneumatic carriers to one or more locations within thesystem depending on a carrier type identifier associated with theidentification information.
 13. The system of claim 2, wherein thecentral controller is further connectable to one or more remote systemsbetween which information may be exchanged.
 14. The system of claim 2,wherein at least one of the interface devices comprises a graphicalinterface device having a display for displaying at least a portion ofthe information from identification devices associated with thepneumatic carriers.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the graphicalinterface device provides a graphical representation of the pneumaticcarrier system.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the graphicalinterface device is configured to graphically depict the location of atleast one of the pneumatic carriers relative to the graphicalrepresentation of the pneumatic carrier system.